The healing sun
by BlueJaquesPJO
Summary: What happens when a sarcastic introvert falls for an optimistic sunray? You'll have to read to find out. Highschool Solangelo. And what happens when they're putting on a play together?
1. Introduction

Hey, just a little preview of my newest creation,

Side note: the rest of the story will be written in current tense and first person.

-Shea butter

Nico regretted coming back to school in the first place. After Bianca's death, Nico had taken some time off from school. But his parents were making him come back to school, senior year. He arrived at the bus stop wearing a black aviator jacket, black combat boots, and black skinny jeans. The moment he sat down on the bus he instantly put in his earbuds and blasted Fall Out Boy at the highest it could go.

Will was running late. His mom had left early for her waitressing job and he was forced to get his siblings up and ready along with getting to school on time. The bus was pulling away when he got to the bus stop and he had to flag down the driver. He got on the bus and looked for a seat. There were a few at the front, but that was freshman lane, so he passed by them. He got to a seat with only one person in it and started politely asking him to move over. The boy ignored him, or didn't hear, it was unclear. The bus driver started yelling at him to sit down and he squished into the seat with emo punk boy.


	2. No human interaction before 8 am

Nico

The blonde boy squishes in the seat with me and I squirm away from him. No human contact before 8 am. My situation couldn't be any worse. First of all my parents were making me go back to this hell-hole, second, they're making me go to therapy, third we had to move from Italy to America, sure it would probably help with my depression, but I was connected to Bianca in Italy, they literally ripped me away from the one thing that made me feel sane. The blonde looks at me and I glare back, He radiates cheerfulness and its horrible. He sticks out his hand in a friendly gesture, I look at his hand and then back at his face to see if he was being serious. I turn back to the window and spend the rest of the bus ride wishing that my parents let me use the car. The bus stops at a large red-brick building and everyone starts exiting. I wait until everyone has left and then leave, to minimize human interaction. Unfortunately, as soon as I step off the bus a vile plastic disk hits me in the head and all eyes turn to me. I turn my attention towards my shoes and head towards the main doors. With much trouble, I find the main office and knock on the door.

"Come in!" A male voice from inside bellows,

I open the door gingerly to find that the inside of the office looks like a kindergarten classroom. There are bright colors everywhere, happy sayings framed on the walls and stickers of plants with faces and other childish things.

"You must be Nico!" The man sitting behind the desk exclaims, he has a black hair color similar to mine, but his hair is trimmed neatly to his head whereas mine is wild and is well long enough to cover my face, a useful tactic in difficult situations. He also has giant glasses which make his eyes nearly impossible to see.

I nod and his grin gets even larger, a feat I didn't even know was possible.

"Here," He says and hands me a packet and a pencil. I find a seat and get comfortable. I start filling out the questions in the packet when I hear commotion and look up. There he is, the annoying blonde red in the face, arguing with the secretary.

"Mr. Solace I'm afraid we can't have a gay-straight alliance club with only one member," the secretary remarks to the blonde.

"But Mr. Walker, you have to understand-" The blonde tries to reason but the secretary cuts him off,

"Will, it's not my decision,"

Will looks dejected for a split second before returning to his prideful self and marching out of the room. Mr. Walker looks over at me, but I quickly turn back to my form.


	3. The hypothetical GSA

Can anyone else tell me what the quote from Be More Chill is in this story? No? -Shea butter

Will

I stomp out of the office and turn right. I'm furious, it's not my fault I'm the only gay in the GSA, I still deserve representation. And maybe there are other gays out there, they would surely want representation too. I turn another right and run straight into Lou Ellen she trips and falls backward into a group of boys.

"Sorry," She replies and the boy pushes her into a locker.

"Don't touch me tall ass," The muscular red head says.

"S-Sorry." Lou Ellen mumbles.

They laugh and walk away.

"You okay?" I ask, she nods painfully and we walk to first period.

"Principal Lopez is shutting down the GSA," I inform Lou Ellen. She looks at me astonished,

"He can't do that!" She exclaims,

"Yeah, he says we can't have a GSA with only one member,"

"That's bull-shit," She states and gets a scowl from a passing teacher. As long as I can remember, Lou-Ellen has always loved compound curse words, she uses them frequently and unnecessarily. I turn left while Lou-Ellen turns right, and get caught in the midst of rush hour.

...

Nico

The lunch bell rings and a rampage begins. People dashing through the halls, knocking into one another and rushing to lunch. I, on the other hand, take my sweet time. I do everything at the lowest speed I can to delay my arrival at lunch. Cafeterias have always been one of my biggest fears, behind having an excruciatingly painful death, and lightning (authors note; I saw a headcanon about this and liked it) I know it sounds crazy, an emo kid being afraid of lightning, but ever since my mom died from getting struck by lightning, it's always been one of my fears. Cafeterias, on the other hand, are just a bunch of hungry angry teenagers eating just hearing the word causes me anxiety. I grab my pre-packed lunch and try to go the long way to the cafeteria but end up getting lost. I wander aimlessly until I hear a loud noise coming from down one of the hallways. I follow the noise and come to a closed door with a sign saying, 'stage crew lunch meeting here'. I open the door and enter an empty room with curtains at the front. I peek out from behind the curtains to see a bunch of people eating lunches on the stage. There are seats in front of the stage, all these seats could fit thousands of people. The people all turn around and silently stare at me. Until a girl with a blonde pixie cut says.

"Are you here for the stage crew meeting?"

I shake my head yes and sit down on the stage. These people are my kind of people.


	4. The green and red atrocities

Shout out to sensiblynamedchild42 for finding the quote and having the discernment to comment. I think I spelled that right. I know no one is actually reading these, but I love when people review or follow or anything, it's the light of my day!

From Shea Butter.

Will

I walk into calculus and take my seat at the front of the room. Mr. Stewart begins teaching, I relax my head on the desk and tune him out. I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I know I feel someone shaking my shoulder. I groggily glance up and see the raven-haired boy from the bus. My eyes grow wide and he blushes and looks away. I try to stand up but trip over the leg on my chair. All eyes are on us as I grab my binder off of the desk next to mine and we sit down.

"Okay, and with that enlightening interruption, let's get back to the circumference of these spheres," Mr. Stewart says, attempting to sound enthusiastic. I turn to the raven-haired boy and whisper to him, "You're in 12th-grade calculus too?" He stares at me harshly, opens his textbook, and ignores me. I study him. He looks my age, if not a little bit younger, raven hair that goes down to his shoulders, and clothes that make him look like a 'bad boy' and an emo girl had a baby, and he's that baby.

"Will," Someone calls my name, I look up to see the teacher staring intently at me and pointing to the board.

"Can you find the circumference?" He asks. I fidget in my seat for a second before deciding the best of it and slowly walking to the board. He hands me the chalk and I stand motionless, before the class, at a loss for words. I put the chalk to the board and am about to start scribbling gibberish when the bell rings. The echos reverberate throughout the school and people rush out of classes. I take my sweet time getting my things and walking to my last period. Gym. Although I don't mind exercise, in fact, I do it voluntarily every morning, I hate, absolutely despise physical education. The whole changing in front of other people thing isn't really my idea of education. And no, I don't change in a separate area because I'm gay, I don't get turned on by seeing boy's exposed chests. I get to my gym locker in plenty of time. I start twisting the knob right and see the yellow post-it on the locker beside mine. It's written in black swoopy cursive, too fancy to be anyone's of my generation. I squint as I decipher the writing. I recognize the first name, Nico, but the last name didn't make sense. It wasn't English from what I could tell. I feel a tap on my shoulder and spin around to see the raven-haired boy from math and from the bus, standing with his arms crossed looking irritated.

"Sorry," I say quickly and step away from his locker, he grabs the post-it crumples it and throws it over his shoulder. Every eye flies to him.

"Stop staring at me," he exclaims and proceeds to open his locker.

He takes off his shirt and I feel my cheeks reddening. Although he's not ripped, like most boys here he is still fit. His skin is pale olive and he has both of his nipples pierced, one has a black hook-like ring, and the other has the same but in gold. Okay, so I may not get turned on by MOST boys here, but I feel my pants tightening. With much struggle, I avert my eyes and quickly change into the horrendous gym uniform. The school colors are neon green and bright red, so they tried to incorporate that into the uniforms. We have to wear red shorts and neon green shirts with the school's logo in black, it's a tragedy. A whistle is blown and we all march out to the gym, where the girls are already waiting. Cecil and I sit in the back by the water fountains, waiting for instructions.

"Today we are playing dodgeball," Coach Hedge says, Coach hedge is a short and stubby man in a green tracksuit who carries around a metal baseball bat constantly. Pretty intimidating.

Cecil smiles mischievously as we get sorted into teams, He has a knack for games like these, dodging. I get picked for the blue team.

...

It doesn't help that Coach Hedge is screaming

"Die Cupcakes" Every few seconds along with swinging his bat violently, but it feels like everyone is teaming up against me. Balls whizz by and I only nearly dodge them. Nico, I think that's his name, got sorted onto the red team on the last pick. He's standing in the corner with a ball blocking his face.

"Nico do something," Coach Hedge screams wildly,

He scowls but slowly walks forward towards the dividing line. He looks me straight in the eyes and winds up to throw the ball only to get whacked in the back by his own teammate. He falls forward and my heart almost stops.


	5. excuses from author

Hi people and lawful readers. I am sorry for the delay in the next chapter. I have been so caught up in school I haven't had much time for other stuff. The school production of Once On This Island has been taking up most of my time since the play is in 2 weeks, I will get back to a normal writing schedule. Between school, 5-hour play rehearsals and the three sports I play. I haven't been that productive. My other story, If you ever leave me is pre-written, so I have been doing that... Sorry,

-Shea Butter

* * *

**I need some new music though, any suggestions? Let me know...**


	6. The substance on my head

I wrote this listening to depressing Hamilton songs, so I need more music, any suggestions?

Nico

I wake up to lights blinding me. I cover my eyes and try to sit up but a steady arm pushes me down.

"Don't move," says a person to my right. My head is stinging, I rub my forehead and feel a sticky substance.

"I'm fine," I say reassuringly and try to sit up once again. The person doesn't stop me this time. I squint and try to decipher who it is. It's a red-haired girl.

"Here," She says and hands me a wet paper towel. I press it to my forehead and wince as the pain from the cut somewhat subdues.

I look around and furrow my eyebrows as I realize we're alone.

"What happened to everyone else?" I ask, AND THE BLONDE BOY

She shrugs, "They all left,"

"I should... Get going," I say and stumble to my feet.

She nods and stands up, her long red hair getting caught in her necklace.

I stagger off into the boys' locker rooms, get changed as quickly as I can muster, without taking the paper towel off my head, and head to my last period.

Will

For the entirety of English, I can't get my mind off the raven-haired boy. I wonder if he's okay. I would've loved to stay behind and help, but Rachel had already volunteered. People in my school can be ridiculous. The fell on the ground and went unconscious, yet people just ignored him. I'm so lost in my thoughts I don't even realize when the bell rings. The teacher comes over and shakes me. I stand up suddenly and run to my locker. I grab my script and rush to the auditorium for play practice.

* * *

Sorry this sucks, I'm out of ideas... Like I missed school cause I feel sick, so this REALLY sucks, I hope this was somewhat worth your while


	7. RENT

No more excuses let's write,

Nico

What I learned from the lunch introduction to stage crew was that we don't matter, essentially. From what I heard, a majority of the actors are snobbish stuck ups who like to ignore us and yell at us. So I joined. Today after school is the first rehearsal. I get there five minutes early so sit on a folding chair in the back of the auditorium and listen to music. All of the others start filing in through the side door in a frenzy and sitting on the stage. I grab my backpack and head towards the stairs, only to get pushed over by someone carelessly.

"Oh my god I'm so sorry," the person says in apollo-gy. (sorry sometimes I can't handle myself) I look up to see an unfamiliar face, pale skin, blonde hair, and light brown eyes. She pulls me up and smiles widely, then sticks her hand out.

"I'm Lacy," She says gleefully "I'm assuming you're new," She looks me over and nods thoughtfully. I don't shake her hand and she puts it awkwardly in her pocket.

"Yeah," I mumble quietly. She loops her arm through mine and pulls me towards a group of people I assume are her friends. Including the blonde one, named Will. _Will_. They all look at me suspiciously. My legs feel like jelly, and I feel like I'm going to melt into a puddle. But my legs stay beneath me, and I wave shyly.

Lacy points to me and starts the introduction,

"This is-"

"Nico," I say loud enough for everyone to hear,

She starts to introduce her friends, but the director starts talking to the crowd. I tune her out, but one word catches my attention, _Rent_. That's the musical the board decided on. I know that from somewhere.


	8. When Life is unfair

I gaze at the raven-haired boy rather than paying attention to the director. Big mistake.

"...Will Solace..." I turn around quickly and try and figure out what's going on inconspicuously, but the expression on my face gives it away.

She gives me a tight smile and repeats what she had previously said.

"I assume that the role of Mark Cohen will be played by our very own Will Solace, who did a phenomenal job as Horton in our past year's production, Seussical," By the time she's ended, my cheeks are rosy and everyone is staring at me. I give a little wave and stare blankly forward. Everyone else's attention eventually returns to the director. Nico taps me on the shoulder and says discretely,

"That was pretty high praise, I'm sad I wasn't there to see it," He winks and turns back to the stage, but all I can picture is him standing next to my parents with a bouquet and praising me, perhaps giving me a kiss on the cheek...Where was this coming from? I had only just met him today, and I'm already thinking about him kissing me. I'm not a love-at-first-sight person, but this felt different. I turn back to Nico,

"Hey, are you going to try out?" I whisper. He shakes his head and shrugs,

"I'm not that kind of person,"

"What do you mean? No one is simply not a theater kid, I mean some people are just better at not showing it,"

He gives me a brief smile before people start shuffling around us.

"Everyone take a seat please," The director calls out, "And let auditions begin,"

Nico

I'm not sure what my opinion on Will is. He's nice, has a sense of humor he's attractive...It's slightly unfair that I know Will's gay, but he probably thinks I'm straight. Whatever, life's unfair. But I couldn't possibly date him. I'm such a burden, it would be cruel to saddle someone with so much. Regardless I think I'm going to try out for the play, even if I just get a minor role, it would be a way to spend quality time with Will.

"Break a leg," I tell him before heading on stage.

I try out for **Angel Dumott Schunard, just because they're gay. I probably won't get the role but it was worthwhile. Just as the director predicted, Will does try out for Mark Cohen. They say that the cast list will be available during lunch. **

**We're all waiting outside of the school in the rain for pick-up because the late busses don't start running until after winter break. when I see Will start to walk off-campus. I catch up to him and call out his name. He turns around and squints when the rain starts coming down especially heavily. **

**"Do you want a ride home?" I call out. **

**"Are you sure," He says, surprised at the amount of kindness radiating from me, to be honest, so am I. I nod and we race back to the building. We join everyone huddled under the slim overhang. A black limousine pulls up in front of the school and everyone stares. **

**"What kind of person here owns a limousine," Will whispers to me. **

**"I do," I say, and Will's eyes bulge wide. He follows me to the car and I tap on the window. It rolls down to show my chauffer Jules-Albert. **

**"Open up," I say, He gives me a grim smile and unlocks the doors. I slide in the back with Will and buckle my seatbelt. **

**"Mr. Di Angelo, where shall I take you?" He addresses me.**

**"Mc Donalds," I say and turn to Will. **

**"Have you ever had the fries dipped in one of the shakes?" I ask him.**

**"That's so unhealthy," he scolds**

I shrug, "People always say I'm too skinny so I grew into the habit of eating unhealthy so I didn't have to eat as much,"

"I've never even been to Mc Donalds," He confesses, much to my surprise.

"Well, you're in luck!" I say and tap on the glass. He smiles as I run out to the front door. He follows me inside and we go up to order.

"What do you suggest?" He asks me, I think for a moment before pointing at a burger. We order two big macs, two fries, and one milkshake to share. We sit down at a booth, and when Will goes up to get our food I can't help but stare dreamily at him. When I bring the tray back Will is deep in concentration. So naturally, I poke him with a fry. He looks up and laughs. A true honest laugh. I haven't heard one of those in a while.

Will

"So... What made you move schools?" I ask, trying to be friendly and start a conversation. He looks away and stops scarfing down his food. I can tell it's a touchy subject.

"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it," I add

He nods and pokes at a fry.

"Sooooo, what do you think of the weather?" I ask hopefully.

He smiles and looks up into my eyes.

"Really sunshine?" He says playfully.

"Sunshine?" He dips a fry in the chocolate milkshake and swipes it on my nose. I fake shock and grab a fry and too, dip it in the milkshake. I try to wipe it on his cheek, but he attacks, grabs my hand and gobbles up the fry. He doesn't let go of my hand. We make eye contact for a brief moment before a blush creeps onto his pale cheeks. He drops my hand and goes for his backpack. He stands up abruptly and I follow him out of the restaurant, wondering what I had done wrong. Once we get to the car, he sits in the front seat. The only time he acknowledges my presence is when he asks for my address. When we get there, I get out of the car quickly not waiting to say goodbye or thank him for the Mc Donalds. I storm up to my room and throw my bag on my unmade bed. I turn on the TV and try to calm my anger.

Nico

I feel bad for being cold to Will, but I can't drag him into the hell-hole that is my life. Jules-Albert drops me off in front of my house and I take a prolong the walk into my house not wanting to face my messed up family. I knock on the front door and wait patiently for someone to answer. Unfortunately, my dad's newest wife Persephone is the one on the other side.

"Hi, Nico! How was your first day of school?" She says,

I push past her and start to run up the stairs.

"Nico, is that you?" I hear my dad call out.

I groan and stomp down to my father's office.

"What do you want?" I ask and cross my arms across my chest.

"How was the first day of school?" he asks in a drab voice.

"Skip the crap I say," And roll my eyes, he doesn't say anything. I turn around and start to walk away, but my father calls my name. I turn around and stare him down.

"Don't 'Show your gay' in front of the family for your mother's birthday," it takes me a moment to understand the true meaning of what he said. I decide to ignore the homophobia for now and take him out on something else.

"She's not my mom," I say.

"Yes she is, we've been married for over three years now,"

"What about _Mama_?" I say solemnly. He doesn't respond and I run up the stairs. I get to my room and slam the door. I run to my bed and pull up the mattress. I grab a bottle of the first alcohol I see and chug it. When I finish I take the bottle and throw it at my wall.

"Nico! What are you doing?"


	9. Nico the thespian?

Sorry If I haven't updated in a while, also sorry about the fact that I just like makeup characters don't get mad, please. I'm also really sorry that the last chapter was messed up and I didn't fix it for like 3 months... So here are two chapters in one day to make up for it. Comment and tell me what you think!

-Shea Butter

-Nico-

As soon as I wake up a throbbing pain arises in my forehead. The lights above are blinding, as I throw on a black hoodie, and a pair of black skinny jeans. I grab my phone and trudge downstairs. As I'm heading out the doors my sister Hazel grabs my arm and pulls me into the kitchen. I stand in silence as my father comes around the corner, Hazel's strong grip keeping me in place. She nudges me forward trying to get me to speak to the monster of a father in front of me.

I turn around and loudly say "I'm not talking to him,"

Hazel's eyes are pleading and desperate, but I can't give in. I grab an apple out of the fruit bowl and head to the bus stop. Various calls of my name from behind. I lock the door behind me and run to the waiting bus, to find a certain blonde missing.

-Will-

About 5 hours ago

I wake up this morning at 3 am feeling like complete and utter shit. Not just mentally but physically. My throat is sore and dry, my nose is practically dripping all over the bed, and my stomach is rumbling like hell and I'm pretty sure it's not because I was hungry. I run to the toilet as the contents of my previous meal aren't staying put. I empty my stomach and collapse against the wall in pain. I can't miss school, not only could I not miss classes, but the cast list was going to be up today! And I feel like shit about what happened with Nico. I want to apologize. But my dumb immune system is holding me behind. I go downstairs and pour myself a glass of water, trying to flush the taste of acid out of my mouth. I hear creaks on the stairs and my instincts go on alert when I see my sleep-deprived mom come down the stairs in pajamas.

"Will? What are you doing up?" She mumbles and rubs her eyes.

"I think I'm sick," I say, not having realized how raspy my voice was.

"Oh..." She says and yawns. "Do you think you will be able to go back to bed?"

"Probably I think I just need some Tylenol," I say while feeling my forehead.

"Here let me do that," She says and puts her hand up against my cheek, "You're burning up!"

"I threw up too,"

"Oh okay, I'll tell Kayla and Austin not to use that bathroom then,"

I finish my water and put my cup in the sink.

"Try to get some sleep," She says and heads back upstairs

"'Night,"

I go to the medicine cabinet and grab some Tylenol, before heading upstairs for 2 hours of rough sleep.

I stay home all that day, awaiting news from my friends about the play. I'm on edge the entire day, keeping my phone in my hand all day.

-Nico-

By lunch I'm worried about Will, I haven't seen him all day and I'm wondering if it's because he's ignoring me. Maybe I did something wrong during our unofficial "Date" yesterday. Maybe he thinks I'm weird like everyone else does. I don't want to sit with Will's friends so I head to the library and eat alone. I nearly forget about the cast list 'till the announcements announced it has been posted on the auditorium door. I grab my bag and rush to the auditorium, finding a crowd of unhappy thespians grouped around the door.

"I got ," I hear a freshman girl next to me say

"I got ensemble," Her friend says,

There is a lot of chatter around me as I wiggle my way to the front. Scanning the list from the bottom to the top, two names caught my attention. Nico Di Angelo-Angel Dummot Schuanard

and Will Solace-Mark Cohen. I step back in confusion and take a breath. Me, Nico Di Angelo, the depressed gay kid, the skinny boy, the "person who was new to the theatre" got a big role. I have the instinct to babble to Will about it, soon realizing he isn't there. Rehearsals start today after school, I walk away with glee, hoping Will shows up.

Thanks for getting this far. It was hard for me to decide whether I wanted Will as Nico's love interest in the play, but I think I have a better plan. I hope you enjoyed this weird concoction of a story.


	10. Boyfriend? Maybe so

Hey Guys, I know that I'm pretty shitty about this writing stuff. But I'm trying to get better at time management. I'm going to try to finish these stories in the next month or so. So I will be updating pretty frequently (or at least trying to) None of these stories are abandoned, I'm just really bad at updating.

will

Around 4, my phone buzzes on the table, and I run up to see who it is. It's Lou Ellen with news about the play.

"I got Mark Cohen!" I read out loud to myself. My mom catches it from the other room and comes running in to congratulate me. She's about to hug me when she remembers I don't feel well.

"I love you and I'm so proud of you, but I'm not going to hug you, because I have a shift later," She says regretfully.

I turn to her and give her a beaming smile

"It's okay," I reply. She gives me a high five and leaves my room, closing the door on the way out.

"Mark Cohen" I repeat to myself.

Nico

After school, I practically run to rehearsal, but intent on keeping my "cool guy" facade, I do a fast walk. I pass by Will's friends, who are gushing about something in the corner near the entrance, and they wave me over. A short girl with dark black hair cropped to a rugged pixie cut starts the conversation.

"Are you excited about your first plaaay practice as Angel Dummot Schuanard?" She draws out the "A" In a jazzy way, and I notice she has a slight southern accent.

I nod slightly, feeling uncomfortable without Will present.

"Who are you playing?" I ask quietly. She gives me a hard look and doesn't respond.

A boy who identifies himself as Cecil cuts in

"She was going for Mimi, but that bitch Drew who just did theatre because the jocks are doing it this year got it, and now she's Alexi Darling,"

I nod along, unbeknownst as to who Drew is.

"There she is right now," Pixie girl says and points over to an Asian girl wearing an unsettling amount of makeup. She has long black hair that she curled perfectly around her shoulders, chocolate brown eyes, with a harsh gleam in them, and she's holding the arm of king jock of the school, Jason Grace.

Blonde, Blue-eyed, and the king of the school. The doors of the auditorium swing open wide and we're all ushered inside. The stage looks very different than it did on audition day, flooded with chairs and scripts.

"Everyone on stage and grab the script with your character on it" The director calls out. We all shuffle on stage searching for our characters. I find mine on a chair in between Drew and Percy Jackson, Jason's best friend, star of the swim team. I sit down quietly and pull out my phone, checking if Will somehow got my number and texted me. Nothing.

"Nico Di Angelo" The director calls out. I flip my head up to find her standing in front of me with a basket labeled phone jail.

"In here, you can pick it up at the end of the rehearsal," I stare blankly at her, hoping she'll walk away. She stands her ground and I begrudgingly put my phone in "phone jail".

"Okay everyone lets talk to the people next to us, and see what our play relationship is to them."

The chatter of the room continues and Percy Jackson turns to me.

"Who do you play?" He asks

"Angel," I respond emotionlessly

"I'm playing Tom Collins!" He says, his enthusiasm bubbling out of him.

That's when it hit me. Percy Jackson. The other king of the school. My childhood crush would be playing my boyfriend.

Congratulations! you made it to the end! thanks for reading, I appreciate every one of you. Also please comment, as that's, my only fuel to keep writing. 


	11. Gatorade guy

GOD, I SUCK AT UPDATING. anyways comment, follow, and favorite this story if you want it to continue since I am in desperate need of encouragement to finish this story.

Will

That night I'm so ecstatic for school that sleep doesn't even cross my mind. I toss and turn the whole night, unable to find a comfortable position. I fall asleep for what feels like an hour and wake up to find the moon shining brightly. I woke up irritated and my back is in immense pain. I walk downstairs to the kitchen to grab my science textbooks. If I'm up already why not make the most of my time. The moon bounces softly off of the counters tops, illuminating the room. It makes me think of Nico. I don't know what it is about the raven-haired boy that fills my thoughts. Maybe it's attraction, maybe I just want to be his friend, maybe I want to be him. He's so undisturbed by the world. He doesn't abide by the rules and he's such his own person. I envy him. My whole life is predetermined. My mom put me in musical theatre lessons at a young age to keep me busy while she worked. My deadbeat dad told me that the only way he'll pay for my college is if I go to med school. I never got to make decisions about my life, it was whatever I got shoved into. I shake off the thoughts and climb the stairs back up to my room as quietly as possible. I get up to the small landing and look into my sister's room. She's asleep, her comforter strewn across the floor, and hair spread across the sheet gracefully. I head back into my room and sit on the edge of my bed, the textbook sitting untouched on my desk. I'm tired. I don't want to study. I contemplate sleep for a good while before remembering the promise I made to my younger siblings.

Two years ago, the last time I saw my dad, I walked in on my parents arguing in the kitchen.

"I'm not paying for my children to go to college and become failures in life" I had heard my dad exclaim

"Your children?!" My mom replied, "I would hardly call them yours since you haven't so much as called since Will turned NINE!"

"Either way I'm not paying for college unless they attend medical school like I did,"

I made a promise that day that I would become a doctor, and support my family, that way my siblings could follow their passions.

I study for a majority of the early morning until the sun peaks up above my window, and I decide to hop in the shower. I think about the raven-haired boy all morning. The soft curve of his jawline, the way his hair falls perfectly in his eyes, his chocolate eyes. I get my siblings out the door, nearly forgetting my backpack and having to sprint to make the bus. Wet hair, and late as always. I walk down the aisle searching for a familiar face.

"Nico!" I call out when I spot him. He's sitting alone near the back of the bus with earbuds in and staring blankly out the window. His hair looks messy as always, but he traded in his black skinny jeans for a pair of black sweat pants and a loose band tee-shirt. He looks up and takes his headphones out, offering me a small smile. I squish in next to him and poke his shoulder.

"How was the first play practice?" I ask him curiously. He shrugs and returns his gaze to the window. I assume that means it didn't go well.

"So uh, how was your day?" I mumble, trying to fill the awkward silence with noise. He chuckles and looks me dead in the eyes.

"You are aware that the day hasn't even started right?" He asks.

A light blush covers my cheeks, and I turn forwards. We make small talk until we get to school. He scoots past me and offers a nod.

"See you later," He says and starts to walk off the bus. The morning passes by and I don't see him once. At lunch, I sit surrounded by my friends, but still no sight of Nico.

Nico

I debate going to sit with Will's "hipster" friends for lunch, but instead, find myself standing in front of the library. I grab one of my favorite books, a classic, Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger, and find a seat near the back by the big windows. I notice a boy sitting opposite to me, black hair, blue eyes, and a pink stain around his mouth. He's nursing what looks like fruit punch Gatorade out of a clear water bottle and playing on a vintage DS under the table, which color matches the drink. He notices me staring and looks up, his blue eyes gleaming. He smiles at me and wordlessly offers me to sit next to him. I quickly gather all of my stuff in my arms and move over to his table. I sit two seats away from him.

"I'm Dakota!" He says excitedly.

"Nico," I respond "Are you always this...Peppy?"

"Well my dad actually invented Gatorade, so yeah I guess so,"

I nod and continue reading my book. We sit in a comfortable silence until the bell rings. He puts all of his stuff in a pink neon backpack I hadn't noticed before and runs out the door.

Yay! you made it to the end!

Thank you for reading. Favorite, follow, and review please! and also Nico made a friend!

Anyways that's all for now-Shea butter


	12. Ill cover you

GOOD NIGHt, well good morning, It's 2am so I guess it can be both. Enjoy this piece of Will being really nervous and rambling, oops may have spoiled some. ANYWAYS sorry I haven't been on lately, got some hate comments and it really threw me off, so I'd like everyone to know that writing hate comments doesn't "Get your opinion across", It makes you an asshole.

The tall pudgy Gatorade boy "Dakota" and I grow into a routine of silent lunches in the library and exchanged glances in the hall. The relationship developing with Dakota is unfamiliar to me. I'm not usually one for friends, preferring to sit alone in the library than interacting with my peers. My only friend growing up was my sister Bianca, and when she died, I isolated myself from everyone, refusing to believe my best friend was gone. Ever since then I've had trouble letting people in because deep down I know they won't be here forever.

... At some point, Dakota's girlfriend Gwen joins our table, then lunch becomes the three of us. Them trading off his cherry red vintage DS under the table, and me devouring the classics in the library. They could be siblings, with how eerily similar in looks and persona they are. They have the same mild complexion and royal blue eyes, despite Dakota having black hair and Gwen brown, I mistook them for siblings when she first showed up. They're both very hyper, most likely from the obsession with Koolaid they share, which can't positively affect their joined ADHD considering the Koolaid is 90% sugar.

...

The next week of rehearsals is devoted solely to choreography, which entails half of the cast sitting in the crowd of the auditorium talking while the members of the specific scene get bossed around on stage. It is utter confusion for the entire company. After two days of rigorous rehearsals, Wednesday finally comes, and it's one of Percy and I's major romance scenes. , "I'll cover you,".

"So, with a thousand sweet kisses

_If you're cold and you're lonely_

I'll cover you

With a thousand sweet kisses

_You've got one nickel only_

I'll cover you

_With a thousand sweet kisses_

When you're worn out and tired

_I'll cover you_

_With a thousand sweet kisses_

When your heart has expired

_I'll cover you"_

Percy and I intermittently say our lines, while doing the cheesy choreography the director instructed us to do. I take the maroon sweater from my hips and wrap it around Percy's shoulders. We lean in close enough that our foreheads are touching, and Percy is visibly distressed. I can feel his heavy breathing against my cheeks, a sort of tingling sensation runs through my body. I look into his turquoise blue eyes, I've never been close enough to him to notice the hazel specks on the outers of his irises or the way only one of his cheeks has a dimple. The entire cast has stopped their conversations in favor of watching this piece, which only makes me blush an even darker shade of burgundy.

Will

I haven't spoken to Nico in a few days, all I know is that he's not in the cafeteria, and rushes out of rehearsal when the bell rings like hades himself is chasing him. Not interacting with the raven-haired boy only showed me how into him I am. I know that I'm not dating Nico, so I don't have a say in who he dates, or how he touches other boys. But god do I want to murder Percy.

...

I try to catch up to Nico after school, but even with the extra four inches I have over him, It's still a race for me to catch up to him.

"Hey, Nico!" I call out to the back of his head.

He turns around briefly before taking out his headphones and giving me his full attention.

"What do you want," He says annoyance dripping off his voice.

"Do you uh...I was wondering if you wanted to run over lines," I ask

He doesn't respond "f-for the play I-I meant, not something else, like outside of school, Not trying to be rude if you DO do acting outside of school, most of the kids in the program do other acting stuff at the local theatre, the one like two blocks from school ...I don't have time for it, but a lot of kids do it, so...Uh sorry," Very smooth Will. I never realized how nerve-wracking it is to talk to someone you're attracted to is. The only other people I've dated were girls, back in my straight phase.

"I mean...I guess," He says unsurely "I've never done theatre before...So I'm new to all this memorizing stuff,"

He awkwardly smiles at me and we start walking towards the parking lot.

"Where do you want to go?" I ask.

He thinks for a moment and turns to me "Your house?"

"I'd love to but Austin's band has practice for a couple more hours, and we already missed the late bus."

"Austin?" He asks curiously

"My brother,"

"You have siblings?" He says "I'd always thought of you as an only child type of guy,"

"Nope, I've got two siblings who I live with, and a wide range of half-siblings all over the country," He looks confused for a second before deciding to drop the topic.

"What about your house?" I suggest

Nico

There is no way in hell that I'm bringing Will back to my wreck of a family, and my alcohol ridden bedroom. I can't lose one of my only friends I've made this year so quickly. I don't even know his middle name yet.

"Can't do my house either," I lie, "The house is getting repainted,"

"Have you ever been to Caspian's pier?" He proposes

I shake my head and he smiles. The entire time I've lived in this shitty town I've basically never left my room. The only reason we'd left Italy in the first place was the death of my _mama. _My "Father" decided it was too hard to stay in Italy, and brought us to the US for a fresh start. I was too scarred as a kid to make friends. My mother had been brutally murdered in front of me and my sister as revenge. I was never going to have a normal childhood. Then my sister died. And I isolated myself in my room, at 13 discovered alcohol, dropped out of school, and ruined my life.

Will

We take the public bus down to the local hospital, one I'm awfully familiar with, and by the looks of it so is Nico. He was oddly silent the whole ride, gazing out the window, and not responding when I asked questions. We take a left and dash behind the hospital, into a seemingly normal forest.

"How do you know where we're going?" He asks after we take a sharp left behind a tree.

"Let's just say these backroads are like my home," I respond

He looks at me confused.

"I come here a lot," I correct.

We walk for a few more minutes before coming to a pair of huge bushes.

"Here?" He asks. I nod and he pushes his way through the leaves.

As always thank you so much for making it to the end of my piece, you have just made my day 90% better by taking two second out of your day to read this.

Love all of you, don't be assholes -Shea butter


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